Awards

Tobitate Japan Scholarship Program, from May 1 to November 30, 2018.

Research Interests

My curiosity in plant-microbe interactions stems from my childhood, where I worked for a number of years on a family operated produce farm. This is where I was first exposed to the problems that face agriculture as the worldwide population is increasing extremely rapidly. I am using the model pathosystem Arabidopsis thaliana-Pseudomonassyringae to define the molecular-genetic interactions underpinning host resistance. Specifically, I am using a combination of biochemical and cellular techniques to gain a better understanding of how NDR1 specifies resistance, including the role of NDR1 in ABA-mediated signaling processes. It is my ultimate goal to define the convergence of abiotic and biotic stress signaling processes.